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You may have heard about globalization, but find yourself wondering, "Exactly what is globalization?" Globalization is sometimes called "Free Market Trade" and refers to the exchange of products, raw materials, services and ideas across borders. While this type of activity has been going on for centuries, economists say we've entered a stage of new globalization, where transnational corporations set up shop in other countries and invest in resources, which leads to a heightened level of international security and troops to protect foreign businesses. In some cases, the host country benefits greatly, with higher levels of literacy and women's rights, a bigger GDP, longer life expectancies and lower infant mortality rates. However, in other cases, workers may be exploited for profit and human rights abuses go undetected. To learn more about globalization, there are several places you can look.
A good starting point to learn more about globalization is at www.unctad.org - the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development. Here you'll find all the latest statistics, reports, summaries and findings presented in an unbiased format with realistic assessments of all strengths and weaknesses of world globalization. An especially interesting section is the "Programmes" area, which outlines some of the current concerns and initiatives of the UN. Read about the development of Africa, an Economy Report, Debt Management programs or Climate Change initiatives here.
To read some shrewd criticism about globalization, you may want to check out a more activist-oriented site like www.GlobalIssues.org or the Global Trade Watch organization at www.citizen.org/trade. Here they discuss globalization issues such as: the dangers of offshoring, imported food and product safety, international versus local governance, the FTAA, NAFTA, the WTO, as well as congressional voting records regarding globalization.
Some sub-topics about globalization include: Fair Trade, Tobin Tax, Free Market Capitalism, the World Trade Organization and the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement, to name a few. To understand globalization is to understand the motivations of our government, what separates the rich from the poor and what strengthens and weakens nation states. In an ever-changing world, it's important to keep informed about globalization because it affects us more than we consciously realize.
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